A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.
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Title: Masquerade (2012)
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22 wins & 16 nominations.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Lee Byung-Hun | ... | Gwang-hae / Ha-seon | |
| Seung-ryong Ryu | ... | Heo Gyun | |
| Han Hyo-joo | ... | The Queen (as Hyo-ju Han) | |
| In-kwon Kim | ... | Captain Do | |
| Gwang Jang | ... | Eunuch Jo | |
| Eun-kyung Shim | ... | Sa-wol | |
| Myung-gon Kim | ... | Park Choong-seo | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Lee Bong-Ryun | ... | Royal Kitchen Court Lady 1 | |
| Wook Choi | ... | Confucian Scholar 2 | |
| Seung-wook Choo | ... | Confucian Scholar 1 | |
| Yong-gu Do | ... | Byeong-pan - Minister of National Defense | |
| Soo-ho Ha | ... | Jeong-jeon General 1 | |
 |
Sung-yong Han | ... | Public Officer Who Escorts Ha-Sun |
| Yi-jin Han | ... | Ship Raiding Constable 1 | |
| Sung-tae Heo | ... | Korean Alphabet 1 | |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Amid national chaos and fear for his life, tyrannical King Gwanghae orders his trusted councilor Heo Kyun to find a royal body double. He hires Ha-seon, a peasant mimic who bears a perfect resemblance to the King. When King Gwanghae collapses from a mysterious poison, Ha-seon reluctantly becomes a King. He must follow his conscience to save his country from collapse, avoid assassination, and pull off the biggest masquerade in history. K Written by CJ Entertainment
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The kingdom in the hand of a layman for 15 days. See more »Parents Guide:
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Trivia
Woo-Suk Kang was originally set to direct, but due to trouble in production's development, Kang dropped out of project and Chang-min Choo on board to helm this film instead. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
South KoreaLanguage:
KoreanRelease Date:
13 September 2012 (South Korea) See more »Also Known As:
Masquerade See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$922,921Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$94,268,432Company Credits
Production Co:
CJ Entertainment, Realies Pictures, CJ E&M Film Financing & Investment Entertainment & Comics See more »
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It's a period drama called "Masquerade", also as "Gwanghae – the man who becomes the King". It is a real story of an infamous tyrant king, but he was a good politician who helped restoring his country which had been ravaged by the war with Japan and also secured the country from the Qing Dynasty of China for a while through his practical diplomatic policies. Now he is mostly regarded as a wise king unluckily stuck in the domestic political feuds which turned out to be the main cause of his undoing, and many historians say Joseon would have not suffered two disastrous invasions by the Qing Dynasty if he had not been dethroned by a coup in 1623.
We can witness many resemblances of "Kagemusha"(1980) and "Dave"(1993) in Masquerade. As getting involved in the political feuds at his court, King Gwanghae(Lee Byeong-heon), has been nervous about possible assassination attempts, so he needs a double for protecting him from constant danger. The king's adviser, Heo Gyun(Ryoo Seung-yong), finds a suitable man for the job. He is a clown named Ha-seon(also played by Lee Byeong-heon), and he has been earning a living through his silly antics imitating the king in front of people. Ha-seon got trained and adequately does his job as ordered while the real king is having his own private time outside the court, but he is soon assigned with a far greater task.
The real king suddenly loses his consciousness due to poison, situation becomes worse and Heo Gyun demands Ha-seon to disguise himself as the king for a while to deceive others at the court. Ha-seon is reluctant, but he quickly accepts his plan because he is promised that he will be paid well. The feel is good to see a Jovial type king rather than a stern, under the guidance by Heo Gyun and the king's eunuch. As Heo Gyun instructed before, all he has to do is just sit in the King's chair and act like him. Though the people at the court are a little confused by sudden changes in His Majesty's behaviors, Ha-seon playing really good. Even the Queen and his personal bodyguard believe him, but Ha-seon crossed his line this creates an enmity between the haters in the own courtyard.
Even though he belongs to a lower caste, but he is a smart guy who can read and learn, so he becomes more active than before at the council with his high-ranking officials.As we awaiting eagerly the king regains the consciousness and it makes the situation Orphic and it heads to a terrific climax. Lee Byeong-heon, Ryoo Seung-yong and some part timers really build the film in to a Class.
TWO THUMBS UP!